Spurious Suitors
by Nardragon
Summary: A Prince comes to Arendelle with the hopes of taking Anna's hand in marriage. But realising that is not possible he settles with becoming their friends...or does he? This Prince isn't as charming as he first appears...but he'll find out that Elsa isn't always charming either.


How can something feel so wrong and _so good _at the same time? I've been writing fanfics almost continuously, neglecting everything else. Oh, well I always manage to get my other work done anyway. Enjoy the story.

* * *

"Elsa, do I _have to_ be there?" Anna whined as she and her sister made their way to the throne room.  
"Yes, you do. Why are you making such a fuss? You've never complained about having to receive other monarchs before. You make me get out of bed when ever Princess Rapunzel comes to visit."

Anna smiled at the mention of their friend from Corona, but she quickly became serious.  
"Yeah, because I actually like her," She said.  
"You've never met this Prince, how do you know you won't like him?"  
"Elsa you read the letter he sent,"  
"I did," She said smirking.  
"He's asking for my hand in marriage! My hand! In marriage!" Anna threw her hands up, clamping them on her head in frustration.  
Elsa's smirk grew a bit wider. "You're messing up your hair," She said pointedly. Anna glared at her.  
"I don't care about my hair! I care about the prince who's coming here to marry me! And why aren't you more worried about this! The last time marriage and my name where mentioned in the same sentence you freaked and…" Anna trailed off, both she and Elsa wincing at the reminder. "I didn't mean to bring that up…" Anna said quieting down.

Elsa smiled letting her know it was okay, she gently pulled Anna closer fixing the stray strands of hair she had pulled loose.  
"I'm not worried because I know you're going to turn him down,"  
"Can't you do it for me?" Anna asked, giving her sister her best pout. Elsa closed her eyes but it was too late she had seen it and her resistance melted faster than a snowman in summer. She sighed and looked at Anna.  
"You know all you have to do is tell him no," She said.  
"But _you'd_ do it so much better," Anna said gripping her sister's hand and batting her eyelashes.  
"Fine," Anna gave a cry of joy, "but you know until you get married, or at least engaged, suitors are going to be part of your life."  
"Are you saying I should get married to Kristoff now?"

Elsa stopped, giving her sister an icy look, "No, I'm saying I don't want to have to do this every time a young prince or duke shows up."  
"Right," Anna blushed, "I promise the next one I'll turn him away myself. And forget that I even mentioned marriage again,"  
Elsa let a small smile appear, "You know I'm not completely against you getting married, just no one day engagements."  
"Don't worry I learnt my lesson the last time."

The sisters entered the throne room, Elsa stopping in front of the throne and Anna standing just to her right. There was a small assembly of servants and guards. In the corner of the room Olaf and Sven where fighting over the snowman's nose again. Kristoff had been standing next to them but seeing the sisters enter he strode over to them.  
"Can you tell me why I had to be here?" He asked Anna, pulling on the collar of his shirt. He wasn't one for these official ceremonies.  
"I wanted you to be here," She said quickly.  
"Yeah, but why?"  
"Well you see, the Prince coming today, he sort of…" Anna was interrupted by the envoy announcing the entrance of the Prince.

"Prince Fredrick, of the Isle of Ron." The doors opened and a young man, in his early twenties strode in, head held high. He had two men flanking his sides and three more strode behind. He walked right up to Elsa and Anna, giving a low bow.  
"Your majesties, it is an honour to met the famous sisters of Arendelle. Might I say the stories of your beauty do not do you justice."  
"We welcome you Prince Fredrick and your men. If there anything I can do to make your stay easier just say, and I'll try to fulfil it to the best of my abilities." Elsa said.  
"Your majesty, I only have two simple requests. The first being that my men be given some refreshment and the second being a place for rest. We've had a long journey."  
"Of course, my cooks have prepared a banquet in your honour. I can have my servants take your men there now. And we've made up several rooms that you'll be free to use during your stay here."  
"Many thanks your majesty," Fredrick bowed again. " And if we may get to the business at hand. I believe you are already aware of the purpose of my visit. I wish to strengthen the bond between our two kingdoms by marriage. With your blessing I would be privileged to take your sister's hand in marriage."

"WHAT!" Kristoff yelled drawing everyone attention. Anna shot him a look that said to shut up, but either he didn't understand or didn't care.  
"Marriage! He can't marry Anna!" He looked at Elsa who was also giving him a look to be quiet. Again he didn't pay attention. He strode over to Anna pulling her closer to him. "You can't marry Anna," He said right to the Prince. Fredrick looked taken back.  
"Who is this commoner?" he asked, scoffing at the sight of Kristoff's clothes.  
"Kristoff is not a commoner!" Anna said. Elsa held up a hand to silence both sides.

"Prince Fredrick, I must turn down your request. My sister cannot marry you."  
"Is she already engaged?" he asked eyeing Kristoff. Kristoff stared right back.  
"Well, no. But she doesn't wish to be married at this time."  
"Does this commoner have anything to do with it?" Fredrick asked.  
"Prince Fredrick, I'd ask you to remember that you are in my court. I don't take kindly to those who speak ill of its members." Elsa said icily.  
"He's a member of your court?"  
"He's the Ice Master and Deliverer," Anna said.  
Oh…I see. Please forgive me." He bowed to the three of them, "I meant no disrespect. I am disappointed that we will not be wed, Princess Anna, but I hope our kingdoms may remain friends and that we may become friends,"  
"Of course, you are still welcome to stay as long as you need." Elsa said.

"Your hospitality humbles me your majesty. I believe you mentioned something of a banquet. I suggest we should make use of it while the food is still warm."

They moved to the dining room where a huge feast was prepared. While they ate Fredrick made polite conversation with them, telling of his kingdom. He was the cousin of the king and the crown prince, and was presently third in line for the throne.  
"The Isles are beautiful in autumn your majesties," He said, "We are known for our harvest festival. You must come,"  
"It sounds like fun," Anna said trying to be nice to Fredrick to make up for Kristoff's outburst earlier.  
"It is divine." Fredrick commented.

After the meal Elsa got a message about a report that needed her urgent attention. She excused herself from the Prince's company. Not long after she left Fredrick asked to see the royal gardens. Anna and Kristoff obliged to take him, Olaf and Sven tagging along.  
They went into the hedge maze, but Olaf and Sven ran ahead as soon as entering. After a couple minutes they heard the snowman complaining he was lost. Anna sighed.

"Id' better find them," She told the boys, "Olaf! Sven! I'm coming for you okay!" She called out disappearing into the maze. A silence fell between the two men. Then Kristoff said, "I should apologise for yelling before, Fredrick," He extending his hand. Fredrick looked at it but made no move to take it.  
"Yes you should and it's Prince Fredrick to you commoner. If I didn't think I still have a chance with Princess Anna I would have demanded your punishment." He said. Kristoff looked shocked.  
"Now look here, Anna isn't interested in you," He said his voice becoming sharp.  
"Not yet she is, but when she tires of playing commoner with you I'm sure she'll look for someone more…_suitable_ to spend her time with,"

Kristoff grew red, "Anna and I aren't playing at anything. We care for each other deeply."  
"I'm sure you do…Kristen…was it?"  
"It's Kristoff,"  
"Of course it is. Tell me Kristoff, how did you come to be the Ice Master of Arendelle?"  
"Elsa appointed me to the position," He said clenching his fist.  
"No doubt after Anna created the position…so she wouldn't feel so bad for messing around with a commoner,"  
"I didn't get that position because I'm with Anna, it was a thanks for helping save Anna and Elsa."

"Save them? Oh yes, I heard about the incident. Freezing her own country, do you know how many countries won't deal with Arendelle now because of that incident? You'd think Elsa would want to do whatever it takes to strengthen the bonds with whatever country does want to do business with her. Even if it meant giving her sister away."

"Elsa would never do that to Anna. I don't like the way you're talking," Kristoff snarled.  
"What's tripping you up? I'm not using that many big words. No doubt your lack of etiquette reflects that of the company you keep,"  
"Don't you dear talk about Anna and Elsa like that, you have no idea what they've gone through."  
"You're right. I can't begin to imagine what it would be like to be a simple minded girl or an ice witch,"

"If you say one word more against them," Kristoff warned stepping closer to him. Fredrick laughed.  
"Are you threatening me commoner? That's rich, if you lay so much as a finger on me my men with hang you by your toes and whip you until you bleed."

"Let me ask you this, if you have such low opinions of them then why'd you ask for Anna's hand?"  
"She very beautiful. And if you ask me women are meant to be seen to on the arm of a man,"  
"That's it," Kristoff started of Fredrick, a fist raised. The prince grabbed the pommel of his sword but they were interrupted by Olaf.  
"Oh good I found you," He said running up to them, Sven behind them.  
"Where's Anna?" Kristoff asked.  
"I don't know, she didn't find us. We found you on our own." Olaf said.

"Tell me you don't think this freak proves Elsa's abnormality," Fredrick said pointing with his blade.  
"Olaf isn't a freak, he's family."  
"Not a freak?" Fredrick, stabbed his sword through Olaf.  
"Whoa, this is weird," Olaf said.  
"Hey!" Kristoff yelled.  
"That is just not natural." Fredrick pulled his blade back.  
"I don't care if you are a Prince of some allied country. You can't come here, talk ill of Anna and Elsa and stab Olaf."  
"What are you going to do about it, commoner?"  
"For Anna's and Elsa's sake I'm going to give you one chance to apologise,"  
"Apologise? For what? Wanting to take that silly Princess to bed? I'd be doing her a favor,"

Kristoff punched him, causing the other man to stumble back and tumble into the hedge. The Prince blinked stars out of his eyes.  
"You'll regret that," Fredrick said. He swung his blade at Kristoff. He jumped back out of its reach.  
"Hey! You can't hurt him!" Olaf said standing in front of the Prince.  
"Get away from me you aberration," He kicked Olaf, sending his head flying. At that moment Anna had come back, just in time to see Fredrick kick the snowman. She ran forward catching Olaf's head.  
"What's going on here?" She asked.  
"Fredrick is not a nice man," Olaf said.

Fredrick hadn't noticed Anna had returned. He was still slashing at Kristoff. She cried out, running to intervene, but before she could Sven stopped one of Fredrick's slashes with his antlers. He twisted his head and the prince's sword was pulled from his hands. Sven knocked him over, placing his front hooves on his chest.  
"Get this beast of me!"He yelled. He managed to wedge his arms between Sven's front feet and push them apart, making the reindeer's stand unbalanced. He pushed on the legs again, knocking Sven over. Fredrick stumbled to his feet. He grabbed his sword and swung it at the nearest thing to him, which happened to be Anna. Kristoff pushed her out of the way in time, but ending up getting cut on his shoulder.  
"Kristoff!" Anna cried, she turned to Fredrick, "What are you doing?" She demanded. He just scoffed.

"It's better I didn't marry you anyway. That way I won't be related to your freak of a sister."  
Anna's eyes flashed. She stood up and slapped him. "How dare you say that about Elsa!" She snapped.  
"You're going to pay for that," He was clutching his cheek, "both of you." He said to them, he turned and ran.

"What happened?" Anna asked Kristoff. She took out her handkerchief, pressing it to his wound. Thankfully it wasn't very deep.  
"He only wanted to marry you for your looks and he said some stuff about you and Elsa I didn't like so I punched him. Plus he stabbed and kicked Olaf." She glanced at the snowman who nodded that he was okay. He had managed to get his head back on his body.  
"Come on let's go," Anna stood, helping Kristoff up. The four of them ran to castle. Anna called for a servant to attend to Kristoff's wound.  
"I'm going to find Elsa," She told him. She left him with the servant and Sven and headed up to the study but when she was half way there two of Fredrick's men found her.  
"There you are Princess. Prince Fredrick has requested your presence in his quarters."  
"I'm not going."  
"You think you have a choice?" They grabbed her under her arms, lifting her off the ground.  
"Let her go," Olaf yelled, kicking one of the men.  
"Olaf, run, find Elsa!" Anna said, struggling against the men. They tried to grab the snowman but he was too quick. He dashed through their legs. He ran straight to Elsa's study banging on the door.  
"ELSA! ELSA!" He yelled. Elsa pulled the door open.

"Olaf? What's wrong!"  
"Come on!" He grabbed her hand, pulling her with him.  
"What's going on?"  
"FredrickisabadmanwehavetohelpAnnabeforeheattacksheragain," He said but he was specking so quickly she couldn't figure out what he was saying.  
"Olaf slow down,"  
"We can't!"

They turned the corner and found Anna being dragged by Fredrick's men. Elsa didn't even take a second to question what was going on. Anger surged in her and she waved her hand freezing both men's feet.  
"How dear you touch my sister!" She said, her voice ringing with fury. The men released Anna.  
"What would Prince Fredrick say of this?" She asked. Anna ran over to her.  
"Fredrick was the one who told them to grab me," She said.  
"What?" Elsa looked at her.  
"He and Kristoff had a fight. Apparently he said some stuff about us, and Kristoff punched him. And I saw Fredrick attack Kristoff with a sword and kick Olaf." Elsa glanced at Olaf who nodded in agreement, "And then he swung his sword at me, Kristoff pushed me out of the way and got hurt,"  
"He did _what_? Are you hurt?" Elsa hadn't heard anything after 'at me'. "Where is he?" She asked her eyes flashing with anger.

"I think his men were taking me the room we prepared for him." Elsa called for her guards, she order that all of Fredrick's men be rounded up.  
"And bring the Prince directly to me," She said in a dangerous tone.

Minutes later the Prince was pulled into the throne room by two guards.  
"Queen Elsa! What is the meaning of this? Is this how you treat all your guest? Wait until my cousin hears of this atrocity," He yelled, "I've done nothing wrong. It was the commoner, your sister and, that crazed beast with horns who attacked me. I was only defending my…" He trailed off when he got sight of Elsa sitting on the throne. There was an air of cold around her, her eyes were icy pits. She had one hand propped up under her chin, her head tilted slighting, looking down at him with cold contempt.

"Please continue," She said in a dangerously calm voice. The Prince opened and closed his mouth a few times but no words came out. He was terrified, speechless. He didn't even notice Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven standing in the corner, enjoying the show.  
"I said continue, your highness," Elsa said still not raising her voice. Fredrick took a shuddering breath and noticed it came out as a mist.  
"Um…your majesty…I was in the gardens…with…" He struggled to string a sentence together under Elsa's gaze.  
"Yes you were in the gardens when you choose to say some unbecoming things about my sister and myself, no?"  
He gulped feeling the temperature drop, "No…you see…I was simply joking. I meant no harm by it,"

Elsa raised a single eyebrow, "Oh, and I suppose you meant no harm when you drew your sword against my sister and Kristoff?"  
"H-he a-attacked…me first," The prince stuttered out. Elsa nodded in agreement.  
"That he did. I think I'll give him a medal for it," She said. Anna and Kristoff snickered.  
"And…and…I didn't mean to swing at the Princess. I was…only defending…" Elsa held up a hand silencing him.

"Prince Fredrick, are you aware of who I am?"  
"T-t-the Queen of Arendelle…" He said in a small voice.  
"Not the answer I was looking for," She said.  
"Am…the snow queen?" He was shaking now, partly from the cold, mainly from terror. Elsa smiled at this.  
"Also true and you would do well to remember that, but still not the answer I want."  
The prince looked around trying to find the answer. Elsa stood, making him take a few steps back, even though there was over ten feet between them. Elsa walked towards him, ice spreading outwards from her steps. Fredrick continued to retreat away, until he slipped on the ice. He crawled backwards but Elsa waved her hand and an icy wall appeared behind him. She flicked her hand again and this time icicles sprouted from the floor, lifting the prince off his feet and pinning him against the wall. A single icicle extended slowly towards the prince's neck, stopping a hair's breadth from the skin.

"I am, first and foremost, Anna's elder sister. Do you realise how lucky you are that Kristoff pushed Anna out of the way when you swung at her? If you had hurt one hair on my sister's head you wouldn't be alive right now."  
Fredrick gulped, making his Adam's apple brush against the icicle against his neck.  
"B-b-but…"  
"Anna is the only blood relative I have and I'd protect her with my life. Kristoff, Olaf and Sven, they've all become my surrogate family and you hurt them. You had your men grab my sister. I have half a mind to encase you in ice." She stopped in front of him. His feet kicked useless in the air and his arms waved feebly.

"But I won't," Elsa said quietly. He gave a sigh of relief but it turned to a gasp as she reached though the icicles and rested a hand against his chest.  
"However, if you ever come near my family again with so much as a bad intention," Her hand gripped his shirt, her nails digging through the cloth into his skin, a thin layer of frost appearing. "I'll send an icicle though your chest." She looked him right in the eye as she said this. She waved her hand and the ice surrounding him melted away and he fell to the floor in a heap. He stumbled backwards from her. She glanced down at him.  
"Go beg their forgiveness, and pray they give it. You don't want to know what I'll do if they don't."

Prince Fredrick crawled to Anna's and Kristoff's feet.  
"Please, please, please forgive me," He begged clasping his hands together.  
"Why are you only apologising to us?" Anna asked.  
"You hurt them too," Kristoff indicating to Olaf and Sven.  
"You want me to apologise to a lump of snow and a flea bitten animal?" The sound of ice cracking filled the room and Fredrick cried out.  
"I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I beg of you. Don't let her hurt me," He was practically crying, he bowed to Olaf and Sven. The four of them looked at each other.  
"Should we?" Anna asked the other three. Olaf rubbed his chin looking down at the prince.  
"I don't know, he sounds like he only wants to save his own hide." He said.  
"Yeah, but if we don't forgive him then the maids will have a mess to clean up later," Anna said and Fredrick whimpered.  
"That's true, I guess we could forgive him," Olaf said.  
"Oh thank you, thank you!" He looked back at Elsa.

"You and your men have an hour to leave," She said. He scrambled to his feet, running from the room, slipping on the ice that still covered the floor. Elsa turned towards Anna and Kristoff smiling.  
"I don't think he'll be bothering us again," She said happily. Anna nearly toppled her over in a tackle hug.  
"That was amazing. You are the best big sister ever!"  
Elsa laughed, "Was there ever any doubt?"

Kristoff was staring at her with his mouth slightly open. The sisters looked at him.  
"Hey Kristoff, are you okay?" Anna asked. He gulped.  
"I am both in awe and utterly terrified of you right now." He told Elsa. She smiled at him.  
"I may have never told you before but if you ever hurt Anna I'll do much worse to you than I threatened him with." She said, although there was a playful undertone to her voice.  
"Elsa, you'll scare him," Anna nudged her sister with an elbow.  
"Good, he's supposed to be a little scared of me,"

Kristoff gulped and unconsciously lifted a hand to his throat. Sven nudged him with an antler but he seemed frozen.  
"Kristoff?" Olaf called him, jumping to wave a hand in front of his face.  
"I think my boyfriend is frozen with fear." Anna said.  
"I think he is," Elsa agreed, "While he thaws out shall we go watch the Prince flee our kingdom?"  
"Oh, now that sounds like fun," The sisters linked arms walking from the room leaving Olaf and Sven to try and snap the ice harvester back to reality.

* * *

I ended up writing this four thousand word story from a single idea that was originally not even five hundred words, but that happens to me alot. It's not the first time I've written a story just so I could use one or two lines that I loved, and it for sure isn't going to be the last. In this case the story evolved from the idea of Elsa threatening a boy that tried to hurt Anna.

Nardragon~until the next page.


End file.
